’ve used my experiences in seminary, war and intelligence and as a linguist; BA in American Studies, two years graduate work in the history of social change and revolution, a master’s degree in Public Administration and an Arts Management certificate to support work as a public sector and non-profit executive, consultant to business and government, and leader in organizational development and systems transformation.

My management apprenticeship was as Executive Director of a community services agency in San Diego while Lin, my wife, attended graduate school in psychology. Our relationship, her feminism, personal and professional skills, spirituality and our children have been the most significant influences in my adult life.

We came back east to Saratoga Springs so I could work in state government, first with the NYS Office of State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Four years later Lin and I founded Pathfinders Institute, a nonprofit providing some of the earliest PTSD programs for Vietnam Veterans, rape crisis and domestic violence programs. I went back into government with Mario Cuomo becoming Deputy Director of Veterans Affairs, then Director of Workforce Planning at NYS Civil Service leading development of New York’s first state workforce plan in 1989,. We recommended introduction of a Workforce Impact Statement as a component of public funding. In 1991, I left state government to work on reconciliation with Vietnam, do business consulting and provide humanitarian assistance. My language skills and reputation as antiwar former intelligence agent facilitated relationships with the Vietnamese, the World Bank and international businesses. I participated in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)’s 1991 Investors Forum in Ho Chi Minh City and subsequent meetings with government leaders in Hanoi. For 10 years, I consulted with businesses, NGOs and educational institutions interested in establishing programs in Southeast Asia.
With two children to raise I needed a predictable paycheck and benefits so chose to work locally. I cut back on international work. In 1999 I went to work with the NYS AFL-CIO, establishing the Workforce Development Institute (WDI), a nonprofit which became a national leader in economic development, workforce intelligence, education and training of unionized workers, funding childcare and more. WDI has both statewide and regional operations, provides economic research, community audits, policy analysis and cultural services. In addition, WDI offers financial and technical assistance to manufacturers across New York State. I was one of the founders of the NYS Apollo Alliance, bringing together organized labor, environmentalists, business, educators and proponents of environmental justice to add